Aggies Prepare for unbeaten Jayhawks

10-26-07 - Kansas has posted a pair of key road victories on its way to its best start in 12 years.

The No. 12 Jayhawks will try for another critical Big 12 win away from home against Texas A&M on Saturday.

Kansas (7-0, 3-0) won 19-14 at Colorado last Saturday for its first win in Boulder since 1995. It came two weeks after winning 30-24 at Kansas State for its first victory there since 1989.

"We stepped up again and showed the world what we can do," Kansas cornerback Aqib Talib said.

Saturday, the Jayhawks will play with their highest ranking since finishing the 1995 season at No. 9 as they look for their first win in five tries at Kyle Field. Kansas, one of five unbeaten teams in the Football Bowl Subdivision and the only undefeated school in the Big 12 North, has not started 8-0 since 1909.

Kansas is also ninth in the BCS standings.

"You never feel unbeatable. Once you feel unbeatable, that's when you get upset," Talib said. "We're just prepared."

Kansas looks to avoid an eighth straight loss to Texas A&M since winning the initial meeting, 28-10 on Oct. 5, 1974. The Aggies (6-2, 3-1) are 5-0 at home this season.

Kansas quarterback Todd Reesing was 20-for-29 for 153 yards with a touchdown, and ran seven times for 84 yards against Colorado.

Though Reesing has thrown three touchdowns with no interceptions in his last two contests for an team that's third in the nation by averaging 45.9 points, it was the defense that was the difference versus the Buffaloes.

Kansas forced three turnovers for the game and twice stopped Colorado on downs in the fourth quarter.

"I have all the confidence in the world in our defense," Reesing said. "There's never been a time when they needed to make a stop or make a play that I've doubted that they will."

That defense will face another challenge Saturday against Texas A&M's triple-option offense, which rushed for 359 yards in a 36-14 victory at Nebraska last weekend.

It was the most productive rushing day for the Aggies since they posted 399 yards in a 62-23 win over Oklahoma State on Oct. 15, 2005. Texas A&M leads the conference by averaging 260.1 rushing yards.

Jorvorskie Lane, the Aggies' bruising 268-pound running back, rushed 15 times for 130 yards and matched a season-high with four TDs, giving him 15 on the year.

"When they can't stop something, you're going to make them do it until their nose bleeds," Aggies coach Dennis Franchione said.

Lane rushed for two TDs -- including the game-winner with 34 seconds left -- in the Aggies' 21-18 victory at Kansas on Oct. 7, 2006.

Texas A&M is tied with No. 4 Oklahoma and Oklahoma State for first in the Big 12 South. The Aggies, who were ranked as high as No. 20 before falling out of the poll after a 34-17 loss at Miami on Sept. 20, will face their first ranked team of the season.

"(Kansas has) a lot of confidence and belief, and (it's) playing very hard and with a lot of energy," said Franchione, whose team beat then-No. 10 Texas 12-7 on Nov. 24 for their last win over a ranked school. "So it's going to be a challenge."

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